The Basics of Pokemon Types
by SpontaneousFangirl
Summary: The League-sanctioned overview of Pokemon types and their weaknesses and advantages. A must-read for all beginning trainers! [(c) The Interregional Pokemon League]
1. Forward

**The Basics of Pokemon Types**

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 _Author's Note: This work is an emulation of what a starting trainer pamphlet about Pokemon types would be like, except geared towards the universe in which my other story,_ From the Ashes _, takes place, and I'm mainly using this as a means to organize my thoughts._

 _For readers who haven't read my work, take this as my take on the Pokemon universe and its rules, especially the ones that deal with type effectiveness. This work will contain points that conflict with information found on wikis, but this is because it is my interpretation of the facts in the frame of the universe I'm writing in._

 _For readers who have read_ From the Ashes _, this work is to be read as a published, League-funded and League-sanctioned pamphlet that exists in the universe in which_ From the Ashes _takes place. This pamphlet comes in the blue folder given to every trainer after they register with the League and can be assumed to be common knowledge. However, it can also be assumed that not many people have bothered to read and memorize the information inside this pamphlet since much of it can be considered "common sense" for people living in the universe, so not all characters I write about will know the information here. And, like any book, this pamphlet may feature factual errors, but this is the fault of the publication. Read this work like a thin intro to Pokemon that someone like Adrielle could have picked up and read on their first day as a trainer._

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 **Forward:**

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There are many creatures that inhabit this world, and among them are Pokemon. Identifiable by their distinct DNA, Pokemon have evolutionary characteristics that are often unable to be explained or replicated by science. They are easily natural wonders that defy evolutionary standards, and the fact that they exist is both a mystery and a blessing as they are the creatures on which our society is founded.

A close examination of Pokemon DNA has shown that all creatures classifiable as "Pokemon" are likely descendants of a single species of Pokemon that existed at one point in time. Some contemporaries believe that Pokemon branched off and evolved separately from other creatures, eventually reaching the many varied species existing today. Others contest that Pokemon arrived from another world or dimension since the genetic makeup and body composition of some species of Pokemon are unlike any of the other life forms found on this planet. The fossil record, though, supports the evolutionary theory to a certain extent: Pokemon have existed on this planet for millions of years and have gone through evolutionary changes during that time. However, the fossil record has many gaps and subsequently fails to provide the conclusive evidence needed to establish the existence of a single original species. This, along with the question of how and why Pokemon evolved to be so complex and varied, is a mystery, and the specifics of Pokemon evolution is still a widely debated topic today.

The many species of Pokemon are classified into categories called "types." This categorization is done by examining a Pokemon species' DNA, elemental composition, and physical and behavioral characteristics. Debates over whether or not a Pokemon belongs in a category are common, and there are many exceptions to every type's general classification guidelines. Generally, though, Pokemon can be assumed to have one "major" type and one "minor" type where the major type is more clearly expressed in their classificational traits than their minor type. In this way, care for a Pokemon is tailored primarily by species, then by major type, and lastly by minor type.

There are cases where a Pokemon may be classified only by its a major type despite characteristics of a minor type, but this is because the minor type is not prevalent enough for a definite classification. An example is Golduck, the water-type species that displays an aptitude for psychic-type moves towards the latter stages of its life. Studies have suggested that such Pokemon may be in the middle of an evolutionary trend towards becoming a dual type—that is, developing a minor type. However, the majority of the findings are inconclusive and only suggest correlational rather than causal relationships.


	2. Normal-types

**Normal-types:**

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Normal-type Pokemon are "normal" in that they have not specialized in the way the Pokemon species of other types have. Like humans, their abilities depend on their physical capabilities, although many normal-types have developed specific evolutionary talents and traits to bring them up to par with the other Pokemon species around them. For example, Exploud's evolutionary line has evolved structures that give them a knack for generating sound waves of varying intensities. Along with serving as a means of both communication and sexual selection, these structures allow them to better compete with neighboring species for resources.

The primary characteristic of normal-types is that their body's biological composition is most similar to that of humans, lacking the strange array of elements that allow for the science-defying capabilities that other types tend to possess. Their lifespan, diet, and general behavior are, therefore, often the most similar to that of humans and are, as compared to other Pokemon, the most biologically "normal."

Dual type normal-types are often physically normal-type but mentally their second type. Many dual normal-types appear to have only evolved their second type recently, and perhaps with more time will one day evolve out of their normal-type status and take up another type entirely. Dual normal-types also share the general primary characteristic of being most biologically similar to humans, although dual-types tend to be further from humans than monotype normal-types, thanks to the differences brought on by their second typing.

While no Pokemon is "easy" to raise, new trainers would do well to start with a normal-type as their first Pokemon, especially if they have never been in close contact with Pokemon for extended periods of time. A normal-type, if reared correctly, can pose a formidable challenge for any opponent, and they set the fairest playing field a trainer could ask for in battle.

— — — **  
Ineffective against:**

Rock — Rock-types are often able to biologically incorporate minerals into their body, and because of this, the physical attacks that most normal-types use are ineffective against them.

Steel — Most steel-types have evolved to biologically incorporate metals into their body, either naturally producing their alloy composition or gathering it throughout their lives, as in Wormadam's case. As such, the physical attacks that normal-types tend to favor are usually ineffective.

— — — **  
No effect on:**

Ghost — Ghost-types are unable to be struck by contact physical moves in their incorporeal state. Because normal-type physical moves are the most simple, straightforward, and predictable, ghost-types are almost always able to enter their incorporeal state and dodge normal-type attacks. Non-contact normal-type moves like Growl, though, can still hit ghost-types despite their incorporeal form.

— — — **  
Immune to:**

Ghost — When they are in their incorporeal form, ghost-types can neither affect nor be affected by other living creatures. Just as physical moves that require contact cannot hit a ghost-type in their incorporeal state, ghost-types cannot hit other Pokemon with contact physical moves while maintaining their incorporeal state.

— — — **  
Weak to:**

Fighting — Because normal-types rely only on their own strengths while fighting-types count on both their own strengths and taking advantage of their opponent's strengths, normal-types often find their physicality used against them to compound the damage an opposing fighting-type deals in battle. A common example is when a fighting-type takes advantage of the weight of a normal-type like Snorlax with a move like Low Kick.


	3. Fire-types

**Fire-types:**

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Fire-types are an elemental type and are easily identifiable by the flames they produce. Having evolved various means to produce heat and manipulate fire, they generally pose the most immediate danger in the wild, making them a top-tier competitor that other wilds tend not to avoid competing with. Thus, fire-types are noted to have often evolved flashy colors to warn other species of the danger their unlit flames pose. Ponyta, for example, are known to be rather rowdy and have very little competition in the wild, likely owed to the fact that they dwell in grasslands that, being dry, often prove very flammable. As such, fires are a common occurrence in such areas, though it can be noted that the rate and intensity of fires in such areas appear to vary depending on the season.

A fire-type's primary identifiable characteristic is, of course, its ability to produce flame by means of a biological adaptation. Dual fire-types share this general typing characteristic of being biologically adapted to create flames. However, not all fire-types have a tolerance to their own flames; many fire-types possess bodies that, aside from behind able to produce flames, are largely normal-type in biology. Most fire-type starters, for example, have this flaw, thus requiring a bit more caution than other starter types.

Many fire-types maintain higher body temperatures than other types, sometimes as a means to easily ignite fire, and sometimes as a means to maintain a burning flame. An easy sign that a fire-type is feeling under the weather is a quick glance at its flame; brighter flames signal faster heartbeats—emotions like excitement or fright—and dimmer flames indicate calmer emotions like sleepiness or sadness. Fires that are automatically maintained by the autonomic nervous system should not be allowed to go out. Prolonged extinguishment of such flames has been known to cause sickness, and an extinguished flame is a telltale sign of great stress or a weakened immune system.

Because fire-types expend so much energy starting and maintaining their flames, fire-types tend to require more food than other types as they have to both sustain themselves and their maintained fire. Fire-types are also known to have shorter lifespans, most likely because they burn through large amounts of energy throughout the day. Such energy expenditure means an overall faster rate of metabolism, cell division, and cell death.

Fire-types can generally be considered a challenging starting type, since young Pokemon who find themselves able to light fires will, in most cases, light fires. If a trainer decides to start with a fire-type, the League advises caution and maturity as well as plenty of water for both hydration and emergency use.

— — —  
Attack — Weak Against:

Fire — Many fire-types are capable of absorbing fire, nullifying its danger or absorbing it for use. It should be noted, though, that a great deal of fire-types are not completely fireproof and therefore can suffer burns on certain parts of their bodies. Arcanine, for example, possesses fireproof fur, allowing it to shake off most fire-type attacks. However, places where its fur does not reach—its nose, paws, and eyes—are defenseless against heat, so caution should be taken.

Water — While water-type pokemon can be burnt, they can easily nullify fire-type attacks using their water-type ones.

Rock — Many minerals have high heat capacities, and since the physical shell—or even makeup—of rock-type Pokemon is often mineral in nature, they are largely resistant against heat.

Dragon — Dragon-types possess thick hides that either negate many elemental attacks—including fire-type ones—either through absorption or defelction.

— — —  
Attack — Strong against:

Grass — Grass-types, whose body compositions are similar to that of plants', do not fare well against fire-type attacks. As the sugars and like compounds found in most grass-types physically burn faster, grass-types prove an easy target for fire-types,

Ice — Since their bodies rely on maintaining a low body temperature in order to produce ice, ice-types who find themselves at odds with a fire-type would do well to keep their distance, lest they are rendered defenseless by the heat.

Bug — A bug-type's tough exoskeleton is shed on a timely manner, and healing machines cannot repair a damaged exoskeleton if the part that is damaged is not surrounded by living cells. Thus, fighting a fire-type with a bug-type is a double hazard in that injuries sustained may be carried beyond just the current battle. Luckily, many bug-types have the ability to either shed their exoskeletons on will or speed up the growth and replacement of a damaged exoskeleton.

Steel — Steel-types rely on their hardened exterior for defense, but fire-types can soften that exterior, creating a precarious situation for steel-types if they suffer blows after being exposed to a fire-type move. Though few fire-types are able to achieve the temperature needed to melt steel-type metals and alloys, many are able to achieve a heat that can carry through a steel-type's metal exterior and burn the steel-type's defenseless interior.

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Defense — Resists:

Fire — Since many fire-types are able to deflect or absorb fire, fire-type attacks are largely ineffective against other fire-types. Still, caution should be taken to help fire-types avoid burns, since many fire-types—while able to shake off fire-type attacks—can still suffer burns on certain parts of their body.

Grass — Fire-types can easily negate most physical grass-type attacks using their fire. Energy-based grass-type attacks like Solar Beam, on the other hand, are naturally absorbed or deflected like fire-type attacks.

Ice — Most ice-type attacks are easily done away with by fire-type ones, rendering them largely ineffective against fire-type Pokemon. However, the lower a fire-type's body temperature drops, the more effective ice-type attacks are, so allowing a fire-type to suffer too many ice-type attacks can be dangerous.

Bug — Since the exoskeleton of most bug-types are susceptible to fire and a great deal of bug-type moves are close combat ones, bug-type moves leave them doubly open to effective retaliation by fire-type Pokemon.

Steel — Because fire-types can easily soften or even melt down steel, steel-types suffer disadvantages seen by both ice and bug-types.

Fairy — Fairy-type moves are still largely a mystery. It has been proved, though that fairy-type moves are largely ineffective on fire-types, perhaps suggesting that some of their attacks are heat or energy-like in composition.

— — —  
Defense — Weak to:

Water — It is vital for fire-types to maintain their high body temperatures, and water-type moves—in soaking fire-types—will cause fire-types to rapidly lose heat, thus weakening future attacks since large amounts of energy are required to evaporate the water and bring the fire-type's body temperature back up.

Ground — Since fire requires oxygen to burn and ground-type moves can bury and therefore restrict a fire-type's access to oxygen, they pose a big risk to fire-types.

Rock — Like ground-type moves, rock-type moves have the possibility of restricting a fire-type's access to oxygen. They are also largely unblockable by fire-types, unlike many other types of moves.


	4. Water-types

**Water-types**

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Water-types are an elemental type that can produce and manipulate water. They make up the majority Pokemon life in aquatic environments and generally dwell near or in bodies of water. Because of this, many water-types have evolved colors and patterns that help them blend in with their surroundings, be it reedy riverbanks or colorful coral reefs. In general, there are two types of water-types: obligate water dwellers, who possess gills and cannot leave the water for long periods of time, and facultative water dwellers, who can leave the water for long periods of time and often possess lungs rather than gills.

Obligate water dwellers make up the core marine and aquatic life on the planet. Their defining features are their gills, since gills cannot function when not submerged in oxygenated water. As such, obligate water dwellers physically cannot survive if kept away from water. While this can prove a problem for travelling trainers, such Pokemon can be kept by those living near bodies of water. Battling with them requires specially-configured battlegrounds, which are found at every League-supported event as well as at all Pokemon gyms.

Facultative water dwellers are able to survive outside water either by virtue of being born with lungs or by developing lungs at a later stage in their lives. Amphibians like Seismitoad, Poliwrath, and Politoed evolve out of their obligate water-dwelling basic forms in Tympole and Poliwag. The water-type starters, which are chosen because they give new trainers more leeway during travel, also fall into this category, as do mammalian water-types like Wailord and Walrein. It should be noted, however, that though many facultative water dwellers have lungs, they may not be completely adapted to terrestrial life. Pokemon like Dewgong and Lapras—and arguably even Empoleon—see severe reductions in speed on land due to their having flippers rather than feet, which are only fully utilized in the water. So, while they can maintain life on land, their true potential remains untapped when not able to submerge themselves in water.

All water-types require water, though in varying amounts. Obligate water dwellers—in being submerged in water—require little attention from their trainers on this part, but facultative water dwellers will need to be given water at regular intervals. While some merely require water as sustenance, though in larger amounts than most terrestrial Pokemon, others will require extra water to keep their skin moist and maintain their internal environment. Vaporeon, for example, will need extra water after its evolution in order to maintain moisture in its fins skin. Excessive dryness may cause pain and, in more severe cases, nerve damage and tissue death.

Water-types vary in training difficulty, with obligate water dwellers being more challenging than faculative ones due to the added requirement of training in water. Overall, water-types are more challenging as a starting type than types that do not require attentive care and special training, but are a good choice for trainers looking to start developing their skills.

— — — **  
Attack — Weak Against:**

Water — Water-types, in being able to manipulate water, can absorb or deflect water-type attacks. Moves like Scald, however, are able to do damage anyway since not all water-types can absorb water at high temperatures.

Grass — Like water-types, many grass-types are able to absorb water-type attacks for their own benefit. Again, moves like Scald can do damage to Pokemon ill-equipped to handle the repercussions of attempting to absorb the move. Also, there is often a limit to the amount of water a grass-type can absorb. This limit varies from species to species, but, generally speaking, grass-types generally begin to show symptoms of overwatering after attempting to absorb too much water at once.

Dragon — Dragon-types can deflect most elemental attacks with ease thanks to their thick outer armor, and water-type attacks are no different.

— — — **  
Attack — Strong Against:**

Fire — The natural ability of water to simultaneously lower the temperature of and cut off oxygen from a burning fire is what makes water effective at putting out fires—and, therefore, dealing with fire-type Pokemon, since fire-types burn through oxygen more quickly than most types of Pokemon and are especially sensitive to any drops in core body temperature.

Ground — Ground-type Pokemon, due to their reliance of the earth below them, are often susceptible to water-type attacks since the addition of water renders their forte too viscous for use.

Rock — Because rock-type Pokemon often incorporate minerals into their body, they are easy targets for water-type moves since they are usually weighed down by and sink in water.

— — — **  
Defense — Resists:**

Fire — Fire-type moves waged against water-type Pokemon are easily negated by watery deflections from the water-type. Prolonged use of water for such deflection, however, can lead to dehydration on a water-type's part, so caution should be taken.

Water — Water-types are usually able to absorb water, so the adverse effects of water-type attacks against a water-type are negligible.

Ice — The water a water-type uses is usually body temperature, if stored for use by the water-type, or room temperature, if the water is from an outside source. Ice-type attacks, therefore, are meltable by water-type ones, and other than possible dehydration, they pose a small threat to water-types, especially since most water-types are well-adapted to withstanding cooler temperatures.

Steel — Though steel-types themselves are resistant against water-type attacks, the metal they produce for their moves are not, often reacting adversely when exposed to water. This, along with the fact that many steel-type moves are physical in nature and can be repelled with water-type moves that push them off-course, makes steel-type moves a poor choice against water-types.

— — — **  
Defense — Weak to:**

Electric — Since water-types generally maintain higher levels of water, and water conducts electricity, electric-type attacks aimed against water-types deal damage both quickly and effectively, spreading damage throughout a water-type's entire system.

Grass — Most grass-types are able to absorb some amount of water, though too much water may cause a grass-type to start taking damage. Some grass-types, though, can absorb and use water very efficiently, making them immune to or even allowing them to benefit from water-type moves.


End file.
